Gates of Fire
By Steven Pressfield
- Release Date: 1998-10-20
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this “powerful, historically accurate novel” (The New Yorker), the sole Spartan survivor recounts the bloody and epic battle of Thermopylae that decimated his fearsome society.
“Vivid and exciting . . . Pressfield gives the reader a perspective no ancient historian offers: a soldier’s-eye view.”—The New York Times Book Review
At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army.
Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces. Born into a cult of spiritual courage, physical endurance, and unmatched battle skill, the Spartans would be remembered for the greatest military stand in history—one that would not end until the rocks were awash with blood, leaving only one gravely injured Spartan squire to tell the tale. . . .
Reviews
Highly Recommend
5By pbGuyWritten as a narrative story form that personalizes the main, Greek characters as well as principal Persians. Battles are described with bloody details one would expect from this ancient period; but care is taken to overlay with descriptions of battle formations & tactics that enliven these scenes in one’s mind. Combined, the story is a compelling read with great poignancy & an ending that elicits emotions one wouldn’t expect from such a story.Great read
5By 12trbldgGreat read! The nature of war is explored in great detail.Mhmm
5By DadwigIt’s on the Commandants reading list for a reason. It’s a good read.Boring
2By Longhorn5555Plodding. Filled with irrelevance.Awesome read
5By BdhdjxhsxnRead this book 3+ times over.One of my favorite books
5By Mac656Pressfield never misses! Awesome book!Amazing
5By kunal00Amazing level of detailGreat
5By Steve King (not the author)Great story. Great for any soldier or cop.Brillant
5By DZPykeI love historic fiction and have read probably hundreds of such novels. This is best historic fiction I have ever read.Excellent Read
5By Band4musicA great read into the minds of the Spartan warriors and Ancient Greek culture. 😊Amazing!
5By Matthew stevens is awaomeDo recommend reading. Although fictional, the author did put a lot of factual things about the Spartans. Great book. I enjoyed reading the tale of the battle at Thermopylae.Gates of Fire
5By Sharon SmithA great story of an epic encounter.A must for any aspiring warrior
5By dobrodudeWhile reading stories of MOH recipient Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy, I was frequently directed to Gates Of Fire as both Murphy's favorite book and an analogy of Operation Redwings. This is the best book I have ever read on anything relating to war, but especially the warrior soul.Everything you could ask for
5By UsmcpeteyStevan Pressfield has a way of bringing his stories to life in a way most authors can not. This book much like the afghan campaign brings you in to a character you can relate to and feel for. You just can't set the book down!Stunning!!!
5By ElDiabloDeLosAvesDo not miss this book. An avid reader, I've read thousands of books. This one stands head and shoulders above most, on a par with the very best. Were the Spartans still around, they'd erect a statue to the author!Spirit of War
5By Jason KerchevalNo other book available does a better job of expressing the warrior virtues: comradeship, discipline, courage, valor, glory, love. In this timeless work, Pressfield has outdone himself. Any who has served under arms in a military unit will recognize immediately that Pressfield has captured that elusive spirit that underlies all warriors. All will see reflected in the passages parts of him or herself, even if those parts were, until that moment, not fully known. For those who love members of the military, this book will explain to them, in a way that most of us veterans can never find the words to express, the brotherhood that we ever feel a part of, long after our service is up, and why so many of us not only celebrate our service and the service of our brothers for the rest of our lives, and why we honor the service of those who came before and those who come after us with such zeal. If you have never served, here you will find a translation of the unknowable. The book, as magnificent as it is, cannot convey entirely the virtues it expresses. That's impossible. One must have served honorably to fully comprehend. But it does as good a job as possible to explain the unexplainable to those who have never, and will never, experience that connection of brotherhood unique to the human condition, that only shared strife and threat of annihilation can create. I salute you, Mr. Pressfield, for your sublime work.The story of combat
5By Michael StriblingThis book is among my all-time favorites. As a life-long military man I can attest to the realism the author invokes. From beginning to end this is an epic tale that should be required reading for all Soldiers and Marines.
